Cirice Lunestre poked her head out of the shadows of the closet with all the stealth and grace of a toddler, nearly tripping over a pair of tiny boots neatly sat on the floor¹. The apartment was quiet with no sign of motion, mechanical or otherwise. Since her last venture here she'd interrupted a serious-sounding meeting, Cirice had decided to be at least a tiny bit more careful now but it looked like her caution was unneeded. Veliky didn't seem to be home.

"Okay! The coast is clear, Cash!" She steps out of the shadows and into the apartment with a grin, the door behind her standing wide open. "Vel said they got lots of new flavors for us to try! This is going to be fun!"

Popping into the little kitchenette she leaves a little heart-shaped box with a note for Veliky and some daifuku she brought back from the Crescent Isles. Its a small gesture of thanks, but its been a while since she saw her friend with everything thats been going on and she misses her.

"Welcome to Veliky's apartment, Cash!" She says with a grand gesture, "The café is downstairs, isn't that cool?"

---

1 Hyl's Shady Shelter

He can still see her through the narrow gateway that leads from the twilit demiplane and into this modest room. Although, really, it's more akin to a window, draped with curtain-like fabrics that'd been pushed aside in Cirice's passing and whose colours were hidden by darkness. He stands timidly for a moment, clutching his witch-hat to his chest; even seeing his trusted big sister on the other side isn't enough to dissuade all the nervousness. A 'taste test' he'd been told? Will that be difficult? What will they be tasting? What if he doesn't taste correctly?

...And why do they have to be sneaky?

He takes a trepidatious step forward, and then two steps back. But, seeing the smile on Cirice's face... Cashmere supposes it must be safe. And so, finally, out of the closet, a little blonde head emerges, peering about with a single golden eye to see... an apartment -- in fact, an apartment that's quite a bit more modest and quite a bit less supernatural than the demiplane he'd just emerged from. He looks right to see a bed and a strangely small table; he looks left to see a sort of kitchenette with flowers and a jar of delicious-looking marshmallows^[1]; he looks back to see that the 'curtains' he'd noted were, in fact, simply hanging clothes, as it wasn't really a gateway or a window that they'd emerged from, but a closet. And for a moment, even Cashmere has to tilt his head and wonder if what they're doing is okay, but he's quickly distracted by the selection: some of the clothes look little enough to fit a baby, but he doesn't see a crib anywhere in sight; and some of the clothes look large enough to fit someone nearly twice his size! It's a strange assortment of colourful dresses, bleak suits and... cat costumes?

"Welcome to Veliky's apartment, Cash!" Cashmere's attention is drawn back to Cirice with a start. "The café is downstairs, isn't that cool?"

An apartment right above a cafe...? Something about the idea is deeply fascinating to Cashmere, and he has to do another sweep of the room with this new information as a lens. And if his mood were higher, he might've burst out and started ogling it all, but -- for some reason -- he doesn't. Is this what someone's house looks like when they live a normal life? It looks... strange, in a way. Different. And only one bed?

"I guess?" His answer is something more like a question, and he looks around once more. "Umm... What're we gonna be eating, anyways?"

---

1. (Jar of Snowlings) Smorelings (Veliky)

“Have you ever heard of Blixit^TM? Its a drink one of my best friends Veliky created and she sells it here at her café. She said there were some new flavors she wants me to try so they can debut more at the cafes in the Crescent Isles as well. The Princess really liked her last concoction so she wants to expand the menu.” Cirice explains, “I asked if she minded if I brought my darling little brother along and she didn’t mind. This should be really fun!”

She picks Cashmere up and twirls around with him, “Don’t look so nervous, Vel said she wouldn’t be here because she had business, so its just you and me as far as I know.”

She isn’t sure why he looks so uncomfortable and hesitant, but she wants today to be a happy memory, full of smiles. “You want to know a funny story? When I met Veliky I was actually on a secret mission. I wanted to see her again and become friends so Cyran and I broke in here late at night and baked muffins for her! Now we’re great friends! Never give up on people, Cash, sometimes they just need a little extra love.”